Derawan Islands 2019

DERAWAN ISLANDS

4 different types of stingless jellyfish in Kakaban Lake

Think Jellyfish Lake .... keep thinking jellyfish lake.  A real pain in the neck to get here!  We flew from Tawau into Tarakan and then from the airport we had to go to the jetty by car and then onto a bus to take a boat ride which cost 900,000 rupiahs for about 3hrs+ journey before we arrived at Derawan.

I guess its worth all the pain once you approach and see how  lovely this paradise island is as its postcard perfect.   I guess Oct must be low season as in the day we are about the only 2 people walking up and down the main drag and every pair of eyes must be focussed on us as we stood out like sore thumbs.

We checked into the Derawan Dive Resort - right at the far end of the island.  Don't know if it was a good thing (secluded location) or a bad thing (far from the shops) but next day, we decided to move because the air conditioning was a waste of time and I could not bear the thought of another sleepless humid night!!! 

We checked into Rawa which was half way to both ends of the main drag and the Manager - John was everything the reviews on TripAdvisor made him out to be and with his help we had the best time on the island.  Just tell him what you need and he arranges without any glitches!

This place is more built up compared to Mabul and the locals seems to be more "wealthy" too as they have proper houses, motorbikes and bicycles.  

Lion fish spotted from above at front of our chalet below our feet

somewhere on Maratua Island

Tourist on Maratua Island

Next new job at Maratua??? lol

Finally I get to tick this off my bucket list

Kakaban looking down

It is important u have a good photographer or a friend with good photo skills if u want to capture more than one jelly fish!!!

Trust me there were more than one jelly fish in the lake!!!

Kakaban jelly fish at my foot - no flippers allowed!

Totally all black manta rays

As the sun sets.....

Kakaban platform... I should have climbed back down and stood on platform in the middle of this magical place

Maratua island with my island buddy PR

Daily dreamy paradise island setting

Nothing fancy but freshness guaranteed with every fish dish

Lisa the restaurant manager

Waiting for sunrise

Mingling with locals and invited to join in celebrations

We have conquered these places on the board!

In a nutshell, it is still "undiscovered" mainly due to the fact that it is not logistically friendly.  Also, do bear in mind that the public ferry/boat does not run everyday from Derawan back to the mainland, so take note when planning your trip unless you are willing to pay a very high price to get a private boat back to dry land!

We enjoyed our stay at Rawa as Lisa spoilt our tummies till no end.  After a few days dining at the resort restaurant, we were "privileged" to dine with the "buffet dinner guests" for the same price but for a wider selection of food.  The "queer boy" served us breakfast in bed most mornings, he entertained us with his dancing, he was our turtle hunting guide when the stars shone bright and he made us laugh so much everyday.  Very helpful and nothing was too hard for him/her to ensure our stay was perfect!!!

So glad I got to do the jelly fish lake and the mantas were a bonus but just felt we did not get the max out of this trip because of transportation/timing/costs and if there is ever a next time, am sure we can do it better!!